San Diego

Trump/Russia OAN SD network loses lawsuit

An African-American man fired from his TV talk show producer job at One America News Network was not harassed on the basis of racial prejudice, but was fired in part because he lodged his complaint, a California jury found. The San Diego Superior Court jury on Monday, Feb. 4 awarded Jonathan Harris nearly $290,000 in damages, the Union-Tribune reported. The verdict followed roughly eight days…


Lake Hodges re-opens for season and more

Lake Hodges is back in business, baby, re-opening this week for the 2020 season and getting a makeover cleaning to boot. The 1,234-acre reservoir just has been closed since November, but the serene paradise — home to grebes, fishermen/women, and just plain lovers of lovely landscapes and hiking —  is opening its gates to let the good times roll. The lake’s shoreline stretches for 27…


Measure ‘A’ gets crunked with endorsements

San Diego County Measure A, Voter Approval For Land Use Amendments to County General Plan probably sounds more than a little wonky. However, it is a measure that affects regional housing, transportation  and development in a profound way; and is on the March 3 primary ballot. Supporters refer to it in a somewhat more people-friendly manner as “Safeguard Our San Diego Countryside (SOS) Citizens’ Initiative.”…


Homeless folks tied to nearly 13% of fire calls

Fire incident calls tied to homelessness are on the rise in San Diego. Last year, they made up nearly 13% of all fire-related calls. “We’re addressing it as best we can,” said Assistant Fire Chief Chris Webber, who added that the growing homeless problem is “no secret.” While the number of all fire calls has fluctuated over the past five years, fire calls that mentioned…


New local vape-related lung injury confirmed

A new local case of vaping-associated lung injury was confirmed on Wednesday, Jan. 8, by the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency. To date, 43 cases of vaping-associated lung injury have been reported among San Diego County residents, while an additional three cases are under investigation. While there have been no local deaths, all patients had to be hospitalized. “Vaping-related lung injuries continue…


Lake Hodges gets highly oxygenated for 2020

The City of San Diego’s Public Utilities Department last week took a major step toward completing an innovative project to improve water quality in Lake Hodges. A newly installed oxygenation system, designed by city engineers, will introduce highly oxygenated water to the bottom of the reservoir to reduce the accumulation of excess nutrients and harmful algae growth. The increase of nutrients and algae in the…


Climate Action Plans: A Tale of Two Cities

A funeral was held last month at the site of Iceland’s Okjökull glacier. A century ago it covered nearly six square miles, measuring 164 ft. deep. Today, it’s less than one square mile, 49 feet thick. The shrinking sheet of ice can no longer be called a glacier. A tombstone plaque was placed at the site. A Letter to the Future  This monument is to…


Visa concerns deter foreign-born PHDs

Foreign-born Ph.D. graduates with science and engineering degrees from American universities apply to and receive offers for technology startup jobs at the same rate as U.S. citizens, but are only half as likely to actually work at fledgling companies, finds a study co-authored by researchers at Cornell University and the University of California San Diego. Instead, they choose to work at large technology companies with…


Regional Hate Crimes Coalition holds forum

In the wake of the Poway Synagogue shooting, the San Diego Regional Hate Crimes Coalition held a Hate Crimes Community Forum at California State University San Marcos McMahan House Wednesday night. It featured discussions of victim services, community impact and house of worship protection. The forum came nearly four months after a deadly shooting at a synagogue in Poway. On April 27 – the last…


Found the car at Stockton, but not the canine

Stockton can be a mean town. Just ask Poway resident Cynthia Niswonger. Niswonger’s family vacation return trip from Oregon took a detour of the worst sort about 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 11 outside the McDonalds at 611 West Charter Way, Stockton. That is when a thief broke the lock on her green 2000 Ford Focus hatchback and stole the car. Complicating the theft was the…